In honor of Futurama's 20th anniversary, we're taking a look once again at our 25 favorite Futurama episodes, including installments from both the FOX and Comedy Central eras. For the sake of streamlining the process -- and because none of them truly stood out among Futurama's best stories -- we've opted to leave out the made for DVD movies. Sorry!

Don't like our new picks? In the words of Bender Bending Rodríguez, "Bite my shiny metal ass!" ...or just tell us your favorites in the domments below!

Top 25 Futurama Episodes

25 Reincarnation

Much like The Simpsons' annual "Treehouse of Horror" specials, Futurama developed its own series of anthology episodes that were usually outside Futurama's established canon. One of those episodes, "Reincarnation," is especially notable for presenting the show in three alternate animation styles: a Fleischer-inspired black-and-white cartoon, an old school video game and an anime action show. Not only are these three distinct aesthetics fun to watch, but they're also appropriated nicely for each devoted style.

24 The Sting

This is easily one of Futurama's darkest and most surreal episodes and delves into subject matter few animated comedies dare tread. In "The Sting," the Planet Express crew is assigned to collect honey from a giant space bee colony, but before they can escape, Fry is impaled by a bee stinger and dies. Struggling to cope, Leela finds herself racking with guilt over how the mission plays out and is soon plagued by hallucinogenic nightmares. It's trippy stuff, but "The Sting" nevertheless tells a compelling story, while still balancing a unique sense of humor. For that, it makes our list.

23 A Big Piece of Garbage

Joyfully lampooning Michael Bay's Armageddon, "A Big Piece of Garbage" introduces the bitter rivalry between Professor Farnsworth and Dr. Ogden Wernstrom, as the two geezers compete to eliminate an oncoming garbage ball heading straight for Earth. In addition to including one of the Planet Express crew's more thrilling space missions, it also features an eleventh-hour scheme so ridiculous that it could only be devised by the simple-minded Fry: Why not fight garbage with garbage? (A 20th-century American's solution if I've ever heard one!)

22 The Devil's Hands are Idle Playthings

In 2003, when it first aired, "The Devil's Hands are Idle Playthings" was thought to be Futurama's series finale. Of course, now, it's one of several storylines to further the epic romance of Fry and Leela. Nevertheless, this episode remains a staple in the couple's ongoing love story, thanks in part to Fry's tragic yet humorous dealings with the Robot Devil, as well as an impressive, operatic climax. ("I can't believe everybody's just ad-liiiiibbing!")

21 Fry and the Slurm Factory

Among Futurama's movie spoofs, "Fry and the Slurm Factory" is definitely top-shelf. As you might suspect, this episode is a loving homage to Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, but with a highly addictive soda, "Slurm," in place of the chocolate. Though it hits many of the same beats from Willy Wonka, "Fry and the Slurm Factory" also puts a twist on the classic story by revealing the titular factory to be a diabolical cash cow, one that sends Fry, Leela and Bender -- and Slurms MacKenzie, "The Original Party Worm" -- on a deadly escapade.

20 Three Hundred Big Boys

"Three Hundred Big Boys" is proof that sometimes a simple premise can be enough to fuel an entire half-hour of comedy; that premise being "What if you gave everyone on Earth an extra $300?" The results are surprisingly entertaining: Leela swims with a whale, the Professor buys de-aging stem cell cream, Fry consumes 100 cups of coffee, and Bender forgoes a $300 cigar in favor of stealing one that's $10,000 instead. While each purchase goes a long way in telling a unique, comedic storyline, what's even more impressive is how the they all interweave and resolve, as Fry's 100th cup of coffee sends him into an enlightened state that allows him to save everyone from a blazing fire in the blink of an eye.

19 The Day the Earth Stood Stupid

By and large, Futurama is a procedural TV show made up of mostly self-contained storylines. However, that isn't the case with Nibbler, Leela's adorable and seemingly brainless pet. Over the course of the series, we begin to learn that Nibbler is actually a strategic mastermind that occasionally recruits members of the Planet Express crew to ensure the safety of the universe. "The Day the Earth Stood Stupid" is the first in this series, most notably revealing that, for reasons unknown until later, Fry is immune to the attacks of an evil species called the Brain Spawn. In addition to kicking off a remarkably well-planned storyline for Fry, "The Day the Earth Stood Stupid" is also the first episode to feature Hypnotoad!

18 Naturama

"Naturama" is another anthology episode, this time reimagining the Planet Express crew as wild animals in a nature documentary. Again, this is told in three vignettes: "The Salmon," "The Pinta Island Tortoise" and "The Elephant Seal." Featuring inspired character redesigns and a Morgan Freeman-esque narrater, this episode is definitely one of the show's most eccentric efforts.

17 Space Pilot 3000

Hey, what's a TV show without its pilot? Aside from the fact that "Space Pilot 3000" is where it all began, this episode by itself deserves some recognition for successfully introducing us to a massive universe in just a scant 22 minutes, while also making it funny. Understandably, the concept of Futurama is a hard sell to most first-time viewers. Luckily co-creators Matt Groening and David X. Cohen came up with an engaging concept, and you needn't go any further than "Space Pilot 3000" for all the basics.

16 The Farnsworth Parabox

Not unlike "Three Hundred Big Boys," "The Farnsworth Parabox" is another example of just how far you can go with a single premise. Here, the conceit is "What if the Planet Express crew met their counterparts in a parallel universe?" Not only does this episode explore the alternate lives of Fry, Leela, Bender and the rest of the gang, but it also culminates in the discovery of numerous parallel universes, resulting in a wacky dime tour of humorous alt-worlds.

15 The Why of Fry

Acting as a followup to "The Day the Earth Stood Stupid," this episode delves deeper into -- as the title suggests -- "The Why of Fry." As it turns out, Fry's millennium-long freezing wasn't an accident. In fact, it was Nibbler who sealed Fry's fate in the future so that Fry, the universe's only hope, could put an end to the Brain Spawn's latest threat. This episode is a pretty big game changer in the larger scope of the Futurama mythology, and it's a helluva story arc to tackle in an animated comedy series. Still, "The Why of Fry" pulls it off, and it continues to be a testament to the show's admirable sense of foresight. (This episode aired over two years after "The Day the Earth Stood Stupid.")

14 The Problem with Popplers

In "The Problem with Popplers," the Planet Express crew discovers a delicious snack food, dubbed "Popplers," on a remote planet, but when Leela finds out the Popplers are actually sentient, she has a change of heart about eating them. This episode is probably best known for its memorable appearance of Lrrr, ruler of Omicron Persei 8, who in this storyline threatens to eat all of Earth's inhabitants as punishment for eating their young (the Popplers). Moreover, though, "The Problem with Popplers" does a great job of lampooning big business fast food chains.